Georgia coach Mark Richt was so desperate for running backs that he made the unusual maneuver of going public to reporters about the need a couple of months ago.
The recruiting tactic appears to have worked to perfection.
The top two running backs on Georgia’s board are headed to Athens after Todd Gurley of Tarboro, N.C., committed to Georgia over Clemson on Friday. Last month, another North Carolina standout, Keith Marshall, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 running back by scout.com, also picked the Bulldogs.
“I just came here to tell you where I will be taking my talents to next year, and that will be the University of Georgia. ... Go Dawgs,” Gurley said Friday at a ceremony at his high school.
“It was the relationship I had with coach Mark Richt and [running backs coach Bryan McClendon], and being up there several times to visit. And just that cafeteria. I love that food there. It felt like home every time I went up there. I felt like Georgia was the place I needed to be.”
Georgia has 17 commitments and is expected to sign 25-27 on Feb. 1. Marshall and Gurley are expected to provide immediate depth for Georgia at perhaps its most thin and troubled position. Last season, the Bulldogs struggled mightily at running back with injuries, suspensions and a lack of manpower.
“I think Gurley was a big deal for Georgia,” said Rusty Mansell, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports. “In the pro-style offense Georgia likes to run, they need two to three backs to hold up for a full SEC schedule. I think that’s what Gurley immediately brings to the table.
“He’s someone who will have a 220-pound frame with speed to compete in the SEC. He’s explosive, he shouldn’t have any problems with blocking, he has shown he can catch out of the backfield and he’s already proven he can play with an injury — as he did by leading his team to the state team championship with a high ankle sprain.”
On Friday, Gurley said he “would’ve ended up at North Carolina” if it weren’t facing possible NCAA violations and hadn’t gone through a coaching change. Georgia ended up edging out Clemson for Gurley’s commitment.
“I kind of loved my visit to Clemson, I always wanted to play there,” Gurley said. “However, deep down inside, Georgia was where my heart was, so that’s the school I had to pick.”
Ironically, Gurley was recruited the hardest to Georgia by the same person he will compete with for playing time, Marshall. The two met at a track meet last spring and bonded during the recruiting process. They took official visits to both Georgia and Clemson together.
When asked about competing against Marshall in college, Gurley said, “We talked about that. I told him to be ready when I come in the summer time. It’s going to be fun to compete against him.”
Georgia is scheduled to have four prospects on official visits this weekend, including two who are committed to the Bulldogs — Thomson defensive tackle John Atkins and Colquitt County tight end Ty Smith. Lowndes linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons is favoring Georgia and Florida, while Tucker defensive end Josh Dawson is committed to Vanderbilt.
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